It’s finally decided: a new schedule that both of our collaborative parishes can call our own. Before I offer some requests and suggestions as we transition to the new schedule, allow me to briefly explain the key reasons for choosing four Masses for all people in our Plainville and Wrentham parishes to choose from, and why these are located evenly across both churches....
A warm thank you to all who made our PWC cookout last Sunday a successful celebration of the new ministry year in our St. Martha-St. Mary Collaborative faith family! Under the guidance of co-chairs Kathie Medeiros and Kathleen Hallett, and with support from the Pastoral Team, this event was made....
This Sunday members of St. Mary and St. Martha Parishes are coming together in a cookout social to celebrate a new ministry year, spend social and fun time together, and welcome our newer parishioners into our faith family. When our parish families were still new to working together, I spoke of the collaborative of parishes like our “extended family.” With 15 years of experience together....
There is a time for everything. A time to come in, and a time to leave. Twenty-six months have passed like a beautiful prayer, from June 2024 to August 2026. My goal was clear: to bring together tradition and innovation in a meaningful way. We did this through faith, heartfelt prayer, respectful conduct, and beautiful worship. We strengthened this bond....
An emotional wound such as a significant loss of any kind can affect every part of your being—body, mind, heart, and spirit. Although you may wish to withdraw from the world while you grieve, life and responsibilities often continue. Despite those responsibilities, it is important to care for yourself....
Just a few quick notes this week to share. Good news for St. Mary Parish: we found out the roof of St Mary church, which we thought needed replacing, is able to be repaired instead at a major savings! The shingles themselves still have....
One of the priorities that has emerged from the pastoral planning in our collaborative parishes is the renewal of youth ministry. Pope Leo XIV has reminded the Church that young people are not simply the future of the Church - they are an essential part....
In official “church speak,” the terms local or particular Church refer not to the parish but the diocese – as in the presence of the universal Church in the local Boston area. It is in this spirit of unity with our local Church of Boston that we receive Archbishop Henning’s congratulations to celebrate both of our collaborative parishes achieving our financial goals in support of the Boston Catholic Appeal (BCA), under the theme “Together We Are One.” By pledging 101-102% of our goal....
As we move through the quieter rhythm of summer, I am grateful for the many signs of God’s grace at work in our Collaborative Parishes. They remind us that even during these warmer months, the Lord continues to build up His Church through the gifts and generosity of His people....
One of the questions many of us were asked as children was, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Imagine the excitement in our hearts as we answered: “Doctor!” “Teacher!” “Firefighter!” “Manager of Dunkin’ Donuts!” “Nurse!” “Priest!” On one occasion, I remember answering “Superman,” and it....
“Hello. I need you to do me a favor. Let me know if you’re available. Blessings, Fr. Joe”
What would you do if you received this message as an email from me? Naturally, most of us want to help our parish - especially when we’re singled out to be asked by a trusted leader - so you’d probably send a reply asking what was needed. What if this request came to your cell phone as a text....
On Sept. 11, 2001, I was covering a parish on Long Island in my home diocese. As it was for so many around the world, it was a dramatic and frightening moment. The parish was located about one hour from Manhattan, and two of the parish families lost loved ones in the attack on the Twin Towers. Many other families were awaiting news of family as the collapse....
One of the greatest blessings in the life of the Church is witnessing how God continues to call men and women to serve Him in different vocations. Whether through Holy Matrimony, Holy Orders, consecrated life, single life, lay ministry, etc., every Christian vocation is a response to the Lord’s invitation to love and serve. Each vocation builds....
Our world is a very hectic place and there are numerous media working to gain our attention. Continuously distracted, there never seems to be enough time. Worldly demands have a propensity to prevent us from staying focused on what is most important in our life, especially our relationship with God The Catholic Church offers us an opportunity to cultivate our relationship with God,....
Blessed in every way! Our collaborative’s Eucharistic Procession, held last Sunday on the Solemnity of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ, was an incredible public testament honoring the presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Following the 9:30 Mass, the Blessed Sacrament was carried under a canopy through the streets....
This weekend the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), one of the great feasts of our Catholic faith. On this day we give thanks for the extraordinary gift of the Holy Eucharist - the Real Presence of Jesus Christ among us, which nourishes and transforms all who encounter Him, especially those who....
It takes courage to carry Christ publicly in a procession, professing faith in a God who is "really, truly, and substantially" present in a piece of bread. St. Francis had the fortitude to stand before the Sultan during the Crusades, not with an army, but with....
“Lord, make us an instrument of your peace.” These words of St. Francis of Assisi resonated across eight centuries, and on June 7, 2026, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, our Collaborative, will gather to process with the Blessed Sacrament. We do so at a remarkable confluence: 800 years since Francis’s transitus (his death and entrance into eternal life, 1226), and 250 years since the birth of the United States of America (1776): One Nation under God. We do so in the prayerful context of....
God blesses us in so many ways, and in our country this Sunday we especially honor the gift of our mothers. While parent-child relationships can be complicated at times, we are grateful for the ways we are blessings to each other. We give thanks to God for those who gave us birth and those who embraced us as mothers through adoption or as step-mothers, for their motherly care as we grew and for continuing to guide us in strong and gentle ways. We give thanks for...
Last week this column mentioned St. Peter and the popes who have succeeded him. One of their primary roles has always been to unify the Church in “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” (Eph. 4:5). This unity is expressed and strengthened in the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ that we share as Communion each Sunday. We know that often unity can be hard to achieve, and even....